recreational idiocy | wilbur soot

𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬

𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐛𝐮𝐫

"this makes me feel like a weak man who thinks that he is strong. must i play the chauvinist to be the man you want?"

i stare in wonder as the girl in the chair on stage strums the last note, her soft, uncharacteristically anguished voice filling the room. 

she smiles, a complete contrast to the somber mood of the song she'd just preformed,  and flexes her fingers, then leans toward the mic, speaking in that low, slightly intimate voice of hers that seems to pull you in.

 "this next one is called 'just add water' by cavetown,"

-

"holy shit, that was incredible!" i congratulate olivia after her set, giving her shoulder a soft shake as we head back to the bar.

"yeah, that's what your mum said last night," she mumbled, her cheeks tinged pink. i can tell she must use joking as a form of deflection quite a bit, and i wanted her to know that i was being completely sincere.

"i'm being serious, via, that was really good," i insist. i've never heard anyone sing like that, with such emotion infused deep in the lyrics. it was bloody awesome, is what it was, but i don't want to seem too eager, or come on too strong.

only when she looks at me with a slight glimmer of amusement in her expression do i realise i've used the nickname. she doesn't seem to mind anyway, so i immediately decide to continue the use of it. via. it has an excellent ring to it. i want to say the name a million times more.

"well thank you, will. by the way, what's your surname? i can't very well stalk you online if i haven't got your surname. google doesn't exactly read minds yet," she looks up at me, her eyes glittering in the neon lights of the pub.

panicking a bit, i blurt the first name i could think of, "simons. and yours is burton, is it?" i mentally reprimand myself for choosing tommy's surname. seriously? simons? am i so unoriginal i've got to go stealing the surname of my brother now?

but i'm enjoying having a friendship with someone who doesn't know anything about me, and i'm not sure i want to give it up so soon. it means i can give myself a fresh start, make sure her opinion of me is based on my actions in the present rather than the past. 

and i can be sure i'm not being used, a rather unfortunate part of fame.

"good boy, you've paid attention. listen, do you want to get out of here? i think i'm asphyxiating in this place." she doesn't wait for an answer, pivoting on her heel to face the entrance. she walks toward the door, not bothering to check if I'll follow.

of course i will.

the air is cool outside, and i watch as olivia spreads her arms out wide, her head tilted to the moon, drinking  its light as if she's a flower taking in the energy of the sun.

god, she's pretty. yeah, a pretty good friend, i think to myself, shaking the former thought from my mind. i'm not going to ruin the start of this friendship by making it something it's not. besides, i haven't got the time for a relationship with my streaming schedule anyway.

"well, aren't you going to join me, william? i'll look insane doing this by myself," she states. 

"oh yeah? and me joining you isn't going to make us both look like idiots?" i retort, though i desperately want to follow her in whatever she does, if only for the night. i have a feeling olivia burton may be the type to ensure you never have a dull moment around them.

"oh no, it will. i'd just like to believe you don't care what random pedestrians think," she says, slowly coming to stand straight. 

"was it not you that was worrying about looking insane just a moment ago?" i ask, quirking an eyebrow. she changes her mind quite fast, which i like about her. trying to keep up might just be the death of me, but i'm quite sure i'll have fun trying if she gives me the chance.

"old news. let's go, beanpole." she commands, taking my arm and guiding me to god knows where. "did you just call me...beanpole?" i ask as she drops my arm, walking alongside me now that we've moved past the trickle of pub-goers looking to get pissed.

"unless being so tall affects your hearing as well, i'd say i did." she says, coming to a stop in front of a block of flats.

"woah, take me out to dinner first," i joke nervously as she begins climbing the stairs to what i assume is her flat. "don't flatter yourself, william. we're going to the roof," she finishes as we climb the rest of the steps to the top.

once we get out onto the roof, she skips over to a potted plant and lifts it up, exposing a completely hollow bottom with a bottle of tequila.

"you sly son of a bitch!" i gasp, marveling at the sight. she shrugs and unscrews the cap, taking a gulp before handing it to me. "christ, that's strong," i mumble after downing a sip. 

"come sit with me?" she asks, patting the spot next to her on the floor. i nod and take the empty space, passing back the bottle.

we spend the next couple of hours talking, laughing, and just generally having a good time with each other. i've never made a friend that i've clicked with so quickly and easily, but via's something special. with her quick humour and easy laugh, the conversation rarely hits a pause.

we're laying down looking up at the sky in comfortable silence when she turns her head to look at me.

"tell me something true," she says unblinkingly. taken aback, i fumble for a bit before ultimately deciding to say, "i feel more comfortable with you right now than i've ever felt with anyone until today." 

her mouth falls open the slightest bit, betraying her shock. she recovers quickly nevertheless, responding with, "i think i could stay out here all night,"

and we do.